As classes moved online last week and most UM-Dearborn staff started working from home, one vital part of campus life was left mostly on the sidelines in the wake of new social distancing measures: in-person university events disappeared from the calendar.
Dean of Students Amy Finley says that was a particularly big blow to students and student organizations. But in just a week, Finley and her team were able to get a lot of events back on the calendar in virtual form. Finley says workshops that feature a discussion leader fielding questions from viewers work particularly well in an online format.
“I can’t say enough about our team right now,” Finley says. “They’re pivoting so quickly, they’re being creative, they are working so hard to keep students connected. And maybe we’ll discover some of those things are so great, they’ll become part of our regular repertoire when we get back to normal.”
